Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Stir Fried Macaroni with Roasted Vegetables & Chicken

( Vegetarians can skip the chicken and go on with the rest of the recipe ... or can use Tofu or Paneer instead. )
This is a very flavourful one pot meal that I often make for dinner and is very close to my heart. The best thing about this dish is it can be had steaming hot on winter evenings .... just add some bread and soup to go with .... or can be served cold as a salad ... on a bed of ice lettuce.

It is real fast to make if all the preparations are made earlier ... so after a rushed day ... or on that lazy weekend .... all you have to do is heat some oil and toss everything. :-)

I prefer to chop up the roasted vegetables as I love the different flavours that fuse into each other.

And instead of chewing on a single piece of veggie or chicken, I prefer to have a mix of everything in every bite. Besides it feels and looks good when the sizes are in sync.

If you want you can add a few chilli flakes too ... but I found it clashed with the flavour of black pepper.

How to : Cook the macaroni ... a little al dente .... in salted boiling water. Rinse under cold water and mix a spoonful of cooking oil to it evenly. This will prevent from forming a lump or sticking together.

Cut the vegetables into medium sized pieces and marinate them in vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper. Keep them for around half an hour ... or till you make the other preparations.

Marinate the chicken cubes the same way.

Roast the vegetables in an oven in a tray sprayed with a little oil or brushed with a little butter. I prefer roasting them till they are a little soft ... and then grilling them for a while on high.

Roast the chicken the same way too.

Chop up the vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Heat oil in a wok / heavy kadhai. Add the garlic and fry ... do not brown them.

Add the macaroni , the vegetables and the chicken. Add the seasonings and dried herbs. Adjust salt and add a little sugar for a balance.Toss well.
Serve hot / cold.

Am so very happy that this is the first time I have successfully blurred the background in a snap .... No I do not have Photoshop. :-)

22 comments:

You could send it to pasta presto nights too. I make this when I am lazy too:), but I have never thought of grilling the veggies. I just roast them till crunchy and add it to the pasta. Yours looks good! How did the grilled corn manage to make it into the pasta? I keep eating them up immediately!!